Nature is as Nature Does
by Himitsu no Kokoro
Summary: Nature is rarely kind, as one trainer finds out. A Rattata's encounter with a trainer changes both their worlds. Rated for violence. One-shot.


**Nature is as Nature Does**

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_Author's Note: This is not a feel good fanfic. Please, PLEASE, stay away if you cannot handle pokemon being actual creatures. That being said, enjoy the ride._

_Disclaimer: Pokemon is in no way owned in any part by me. It belongs to its respective creators._

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The pokemon scurried out from the log, to the river, whiskers twitching nervously against the ground as it moved, determining the layout of the land.

Its normally bright purple fur was now a dusty-dull colour, its eyes looked tired and the poor thing wheezed when it took even the smallest step. Anyone with half a brain could tell that she was sick. An illness had caused havoc throughout the small community she lived in. Even her litter was not spared.

Most of her young had died, save for two. They were still nursing and with the mother's poor health, there was barely enough milk. Indeed, the female Rattata was almost thankful that the others had died. Better to save some of her babies than none.

Eventually the sickness had started to leave; it had culled the weak and most of the young.

Many were still very sick and easy prey for the predatory pokemon when they stepped out into the sunlight. Others, like her, had to build up their strength to fight off the last vestiges of illness and near death experience.

A shrieking bird call made the young Rattata freeze completely, not even a whisker quivering.

Nothing happened besides that one cry.

Her ears swivelled but could hear nothing, and she moved forward again.

Barely two steps later, her world spun and shapes blurred as something bowled her over! She hissed and bit blindly at the attacker, sharp claws scrabbling to find purchase on the ground. Whiskers sweeping the ground, she attempted to run for the burrow only to be struck again. This time her face landed hard in the dirt, causing pain as the dust blinded her eyes.

The Rattata's sharp incisors lashed out and caught a paw in her teeth. A pained yelp came from a canid pokemon before the (male, by the musky scent) other pulled free.

Then the most unwelcome sound came through the fear that was clouding her mind.

"Watch out for the teeth there, Vulpix!" Loud sounds that sent trembles through the ground came closer to her and she looked up. Through her blurred vision she saw a giant.

_...Human!_

Her kind knew of these creatures; not Rattata, not pokemon, not any of their normal predators. She had heard tales of humans capturing pokemon in small round shaped balls.

"Vul," challenged her opponent and the Rattata turned tail.

Her tiny mind screamed at her to_ runescapeflee_!

Back to her babies, back to the colony, back to the warmth of home.

"Vulpix! Use Quick attack!"

Not knowing what the sounds meant, she soon found out when the fox struck her solidly on the side. Falling on her back, she gasped for air, having been brutally winded. Managing to heave herself up, she turned to face the opponent. The Rattata felt her fur bristle and back arch in true aggression. Gnashing her teeth, the

Rattata readied herself.

But she was much too close to fainting, her strength nearly gone.

The trainer cheered as he saw the pokemon fall, but knew that he needed to get his partner to attack her once more before catching the rat pokemon.

"Once more, _Quick Attack_!" The Vulpix dashed forward, intent on obeying the command.

This time, hearing and recognising the resulting actions of the sounds, she crouched, belly fur brushing grass. Her claws dug into the dirt, red eyes flashed angrily if not somewhat fearfully and once the vibrations in the earth felt right-

Her teeth caught the Vulpix in the throat, tearing through muscle and causing the fire fox to thrash in pain! Never had such a thing happened to the trained pokemon; his trainer watched on in horror as the Rattata clawed at the furred body while latched onto his pokemon.

The opponent's struggles caused her teeth to lance deeper in.

Trained as the Vulpix was - born whilst in human hands, held in human hands, never seeing the struggles of the wild - it stood no chance like this. The fox's air supply was being cut off and the rat could tell that this fight would be hers.

Finally wising up, the human threw out another poke ball-

A Spearow appeared in a flash of light. Desperately, the trainer commanded the pokemon to aid Vulpix, to knock the enraged Rattata off of the fading body.

As her last bit of strength was in keeping her jaws on the Vulpix, the bird's attacks flailed her body around but her stubborn grip on the fox remained. Finally, a lucky hit dislodged her incisors and sent her flying, to fall in a heap amongst the grasses.

This time she did not rise.

The boy ran over to his injured friend, cajoling the Vulpix into his poke ball. Tears streamed down his face at the horrific display of nature he had just witnessed.

Still, bucking up, he pulled out another poke ball and tossed it at the Rattata. The ball pulled her inside and bounced once on the ground before rolling to a halt.

No resistance from the pokemon he had just caught. She was simply too tired to fight anymore and the fatigue from sickness was catching up to her, now that adrenaline was leaving her system

She was his now.

The dangerous Rattata that nearly killed Vulpix. What would he ever do with her? Spearow made an odd sound on his shoulder, causing him to remember that he should rush to the nearest Poke Center to heal his team.

The Rattata's last fading thoughts before falling into the darkness of sleep were of her litter.

And of her deep regret.

She had not killed the Vulpix.

But his trainer had certainly killed her young.

Quietly, mourning, she slipped into oblivion...


End file.
